Worth More Than My Life
by freckles-is-god
Summary: It's strange to learn who would take a bullet for you. Danny discovers that he may not know everything about his rival/enemy Vlad Masters. Slash, rated for future chapters
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own it all and I demand money for my work. (Enter justice lawyers welding lawsuits.) Sorry I lied. I own nothing. Please enjoy your free fanfiction.

IMPORTANT

I have not seen all of the Danny Phantom episodes so there are probable a lot of things in this story that don't match up with canon. Please do not point this out to me. This is also the first fanfic I have ever written so I am hoping for some critical but supportive reviews. (Warning, Vlad/Danny)

Worth more than my life

Chapter 1

"I'm home!" I call out to the empty living room a bit cautiously. I can hear the power drill in the kitchen come to an abrupt halt and the pounding of large feet on the stairs. I brace my self for impact.

"DANNY" all I see is a blue blur and the next instant I'm being showered with kisses over every inch of my face.

"Hi mom" I manage to get in between pecks. Almost imminently I'm yanked away right in to a bear hug big enough to put grizzles to shame.

"Dad I can't breathe" I tried to shout, unfortunately my head was stuffed so far into his orange jumpsuit it sounded more like

"Muh ma ban beff" fortunately mom got him to let go before I died a horrible orange death. I turned to see Jazz standing in the middle of the living room.

"Hey baby brother still haven't grown an inch I see" she taunted. she was right. She had gotten dad's height (not his width, thank god) while I hade received mom's. She never let me live that down.

"Hey Jazz your still as flat chested as ever" I sneered. we glare at each other for a few tense seconds before we burst out laughing and give each other a warm normal hug. This back and forth had become almost tradition since I had first visited home from college.

Jazz has her own apartment in the city but she's here almost every time I come. She says it's just to keep mom and dad out of trouble but I think she just gets lonely sometimes. I often wish I could come home for a hug from my parents when ever I was feeling bad but that's not possible with me going to college two states away. I could just go ghost and fly here but that would be really hard to explain to my parents how I could afford so many plane tickets.

"Go hang up your coat and put your bag away dinner will be ready in just a few minuets." mom Ordered as she headed back toward the kitchen. On my way up the stairs I pause to take in the green and red decorations, the gorgeous tree hidden under a ton of gaudy ornaments and the candies laid out on the table. I felt more at home then I did when I lived here.

When I made it to the guest room (my old room, Jazz still stays in hers when she visits) I noticed that the air mattress had been blown up and sat in the corner across from the bed ready to be slept in. no one had mentioned that there would be another guest over for the Christmas holiday.

I rack brain trying to figure out who I know I knew who wasn't already busy this holiday. Sam was meeting her soon to be in-laws somewhere on the other side of the city. Tucker was attending some kind of convention in England. Jazz would never bring a friend home and we didn't really have any family friends. The only person even close would never stoop to sleeping on an air mattress in a shared room just to piss me off.

I drop my bags and head down stairs. I figure it would be a lot easier if I just asked my parents who I would be sharing a room with over winter break.

When I enter the kitchen Mom is dishing out some kind of casserole and laughing at something dad had said. Dad was sitting at the table shouting obnoxiously and waving his arms all over the place. Jazz is standing out of dad's way tossing a salad by the sink and pretending she didn't find what ever they were talking about funny though her twitching eyebrow and the small tremble in her lips gave her away.

It was entirely normal or as normal as my family can get.

"Hey Mom, who's the air mattress for?" I ask as I go to take my seat at the table. Mom sits down at the table and gives dad an exasperated glance before she answers.

"Sorry I didn't tell you honey. Your dad invited Vlad over for the holiday and forgot to tell me until just this morning. I hope you don't mind sharing a room for the next few weeks." With that one sentence all of my holiday spirit died a tragic death. It turns out that I was wrong about the level Vlad would stoop just to piss me off.

A year or so back Vlad had stopped trying to kill my dad and he hadn't said anything about my stealing mom in even longer. It wasn't like he had grow a heart and gone good. We still fought. I think that it's more out of boredom and spite now. He still shows up every now and then with a new plot or just to pick a fight. As far as I can tell his new goal in life is to make mine a nightmare.

I'm not so sure I'm going to make it the week and a half until Christmas sharing a room with the man I've had a crush on for years. I doubt I could keep my infatuation a secret in such close quarters.

I figured out I was gay at the beginning of my senior year. Sam and I had broken up during the summer. She could tell I wasn't as devoted to the relationship as I was when we had first started to go out and she felt the same. There were no hard feelings over the split and we're just as close now as we were when we were only friends. She made a joke once about how I found it so easy to tell my parents that I'm gay but I still can't tell them I'm half ghost.

I couldn't say when I discovered my feelings for Vlad. Sometime I think I fell for him before I figured out I was gay. Lately I've even begun to have dreams about him. Some of them are sexual but most are just comfortable.

"Where is that man anyway?" mom interrupted my embarrassing thoughts

"He said he would be here by dinner time." Almost as if her words had summoned him it was at that exact moment Vlad arrived. Not by the front door like any normal human being. He didn't ring the door bell and he didn't come through the living room. He's much to dramatic for something like that. My ghost sense told me Plasmius had arrived through the portal below us.

It's a bit of a cliff hanger but the chapter would be far too long if I continue.

I haven't finished writing the whole story so it could be a while between updates.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own it all and I demand money for my work. (Enter super justice lawyers welding lawsuits and fancy pens.) Sorry I lied. I own nothing. Please enjoy your free fanfiction.

Warning: Vlad/Danny, some violence (not a death fic)

AN: I started writing this the day I published the first chapter and I already have two reviews. So I would like to thank … for my first ever review.

Worth more than my life

Chapter 2

I calmly push away from the table while feeding my parents some excuse about the bathroom. I have to force my self to walk out of their eyesight before bursting in to a full sprint. As soon as I'm far enough away I skid to a halt and change to my ghost form.

My Phantom side hadn't changed much since High School. I had grown only a few inches but I had gained some slim muscles. I had also made a few additions to the suit. With out my friends nearby to help I had to keep my entire set of small ghost catching equipment on my belt. I had also acquired (stolen) an ecto-blade and a set of invisible proof goggles from Vlad's lab. One I wore strapped to my back and the other perched just above my forehead ready for use.

I instantly go intangible and dive down through the floor into the lab cautious of any possible trap. My head passes through the ceiling and I'm instantly ready for battle. When a quick scan of the room doesn't reveal Plasmius I flip my goggles down and start to scan the room again.

"Useful little gadget isn't it?" his distinctive sneer comes from barely a foot or two behind me. I instantly spin to face him my hand already on my blade's hilt. I'm just a second to late drawing it. His ecto-blast already charged in his hand hit me full force in my stomach. I soar across the room and crash into a badly placed shelf of (now) broken gadgets. The resulting clamor is loud enough to alert my parents that their lab wasn't empty.

I have to finish this quickly or I going to have to defend myself on two fronts.

In my rush I somehow manage to tangle my self further in the wires and gizmos that had rained down on me after my rough landing. Plasmius is still hovering above me gloating about his superiority. He has changed even less than me in the last few years. So little in fact I suspect the ghost mutation altered his ageing process. He wore the same suit though it was only in recent years that I've noticed how well it fit his muscled body. He had added two ecto-daggers in red sheaths strapped to his right thigh. It was just a small change but the position of the daggers tended to distract me in battle.

"Daniel! Are you even listening to me?" Vlad demanded interrupting my _very_ distracted thoughts. I launched my self at him firing off rapid ecto blasts from both my palms. What he doesn't dodge he easily blocks. I dive past him to snatch up my discarded blade. Just as I'm crouching to launch my next attack, energy ball in my left hand sword in my right, a blaringly obnoxious shout interrupts us.

"EAT THIS GHOST BOY!" I twist to see my dad at the bottom of the basement steps with a bazooka like device balanced on his right shoulder. Mom's standing on his left with a blaster barely bigger than a hand gun. Both are aiming directly at my head. Normally I wouldn't be very concerned about this (a little annoyed mostly) but I can feel my blood run cold at the sight of my dads massive weapon.

Printed across the barrel was the title 'Ghost Reaper'. Mom and Dad had been working on it for months. They had managed to concentrated the power they used in there normal blasters in such a way that the wide beam could inflict mortal damage on any ghost while passing through all other obstacles. My parents were so proud of their invention they had called me and spent over two hours praising and explaining its power. Judging by the expression on Plasmius's face he had also received a similar call.

He instantly had a dagger in his hand and flying at my dad's head before I even thought to move. Dad had no trouble dodging the knife (clumsily landing on mom) but Vlad was halfway to the portal and invisible by the time the dagger hit the wall.

My dad's angry shout finally snaps me out of my distraction. In a few seconds I'm going to be the only ghost in a room of ghost hunters. Not a position anyone wants to find themselves in.

Still on the ground I sheath my sword and kick off toward the ceiling. I'm a second to late. Mom has managed to free herself from underneath my dad's impressive bulk and has aimed her gun and pulled the trigger. The shot is enough to send me crashing into the wall five feet behind me. The breath is crushed out of my lungs from the impact. My shoulder is throbbing like crazy from where I was hit. I can't gather the strength to lift my good arm let alone escape.

Until this moment I had never truly been afraid of my parents. They were only ever nuisances when it came to ghost fighting. Now I fear for my life. I can't move and I'm staring down the barrel of the deadliest ghost blaster ever made.

My dad bellows out some kind of witty victory phrase. There's a flash of green light. For an impossibly long second I wonder how my parents will feel when the smoke clears. I close my eyes and brace my self for the incoming pain.

I'm hit.

It's not the searing pain of a laser. It's the bruising pain of a solid heavy object crashing against my chest. It rebounds off me and falls heavily the 3 feet to the floor

Whatever hit me falls to the floor. It's a body. I recognize it. Someone's screaming.

""

First off I would like to apologize. I did start this the day after I wrote the first chapter but I couldn't think of a way to end it so I put it aside for a while. I almost forgot I had it. By the time I opened it up again and read it the ending just wrote it's self. Once again I'm sorry for the delay. I'll try and write faster next time.

p.s. I'm starting a Spiderman Fantastic Four crossover so that I can switch out between the two projects when I get writers block. Is it a good idea? Can you guess the pairing?


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: give me money – no – okay, it's free and it's not mine T.T

No real warnings for this chapter.

AN: The more reviews I get the more I feel like an asshat for taking so long to write this. The more I feel like an asshat the more I write. It all sounds win- win to me except for me feeling like an asshat. You know I think I just like typing asshat. ENJOY THE SHOW!

Plasmius is on the ground face down unmoving. Dad is aiming at his head. Mom is staring at me probably confused by my yell. Jazz is standing at the bottom of the stair on the verge of panicking. I had to do something. Dad was going to kill him, if he wasn't already dead.

"Dad! Don't shoot, Dad!" I land between them. I watch Dad's confusion turn to shock and horror as I let myself be engulfed by the two power rings. There's a clatter as both their guns fall to the floor. Moms falls first, dads barely a second after. The noise seems to set things in motion again.

"D-danny? How..how in the world?" mom takes a few uncertain steps forward with her arms lifted in front of her as if she wanted to touch me but couldn't quite make herself. I want nothing more than to explain everything for them and beg them not to hate me but now wasn't the time.

"I'll explain everything I promise but first we have to help him." As I say this I glance over my shoulder at him. He had transformed when I was distracted but he was still breathing. His back shuddered up and down with his shallowly. The blast had burned through his suit and a large round patch of scorched red skin is visible. He had taken most of the damage to his ghost side.

I turn back to face my parents. Mom had come up to dad's side and had the sleeve of his jumpsuit clenched tight as if to hold her up or maybe to support dad. They were now staring wide eyed at Vlad's still form.

"He's hurt. We have to get him upstairs." I'm pleading with them now. I'm far too worried about Vlad to spare any concern for my pride.

Mom's always been the practical one and it's no different now. I can see her mentally shove aside all her questions and take charge. Her face hardens as she points to each one of use in turn snapping off orders.

"Jack, Danny! You two carry Vlad up to the guest room. Carefully! Jazz go get the first aid kit and take it up to your brother. I'll meet you there with Jack's emergency burn kit. " she swiftly turns on her heel and starts to search through the cluttered cabinets. Dad never puts it in the same place twice and can never find it when he needs it. Jazz turns and rushes up stairs. Dad steps over the wreckage to Vlad's side. I grab his shoulder and carefully pull him onto his back.

Vlad flinches and lets out a little whimper but his eyes stay shut. His face is draw and full of pain. There's a patch of blood in his hair and his suit is torn and covered in dust. I have to look away for a moment and bite my lip to keep myself form crying in front of my dad. He leans down to take Vlad's shoulders. I grab his legs and we slowly lift him off the ground. Dad leads the way backwards up the stairs. The last thing I see before I lose site of the room is mom still digging through the cabinets.

It's a slow and painful trip up to the guest bedroom. Dad is silent the whole way except to grunt the occasional instructions. I've never seen him this serious. I'm too afraid to speak and I'm completely preoccupied by Vlad's pained expression. Jazz is waiting for use by the bed with the covers pulled back and the first aid kit held tightly to her chest.

"We need to set him on his side so I can get to his back." My words are surprisingly loud after the silent trip. Dad just nods and helps me lay him on his side facing the wall. Mom comes rushing in with the burn kit. Dad helps me remove Vlad's shirt. I hope to god no one saw how badly I was blushing. I set to work on his back, my mom occasionally handing me things out of my reach. Jazz didn't stick around for long. Dad followed her some time when I wasn't looking. Mom stayed around until I was almost done. I hardly noticed any of this; I was so focused on my task.

Finally I was done. The burn wasn't so bad but he would probably die if he tried changing anytime some. I had discovered a long time ago that the wounds I received in one form were always better in the other. It also helped with the healing. I hoped Vlad knew that, though I doubt he would be waking up any time soon. To make him at least a little more comfortable I removed his shoes and belt and pulled the sheet up to his shoulders. I wasted a few minutes tugging at the sheet until I told myself to stop procrastinating. I left the room and started down the stairs.

Mom was standing in the middle of the living room with her hood down, holding dad's hand. They were both staring at Jazz who was standing in front of them. She was staring at the ground a slightly red mark on one cheek and tears in her eyes. I briefly considered going ghost and escaping but I couldn't leave my sister to take the fall nor could I just ditch Vlad lying injured above me.

I must have made a noise because everyone turns to look at me standing at the bottom of the stairway. Jazz looks apologetic, Dad looks scared and a little hurt, Mom was also tearing up but she also looked furious. She let go of Dad's hand and came marching up to me. We were almost eye to eye. She's still barely any shorter than me. We stood like that for a maybe three heartbeats.

'_SLAP!_' I can't even say I wasn't expecting it but it still hurt like hell. I'm used to taking hits but this one, everything it meant, was the most painful thing I ever had to take. I didn't bother to move my head back around. I couldn't face the anger, betrayal, and disgust that had to be plastered across their faces. I don't know when I started crying but I hoped they couldn't see.

A pair of thin familiar arms wrap around my shoulders. Instinctually I lean in to the embrace,

"We almost killed you." That one statement held more emotion then I've ever heard for my mother. I finally glanced up she was crying. There's no disgust, no betrayal, and while there is anger it was overshadowed by her concern. A much larger pair of orange clad arms appears and encircles us both. Jazz squeezes her way in to the hug somehow. She looks much better now. I'm outright sobbing now, so relived I am. I keep thinking the same thing in my head over and over again.

'_They don't hate me._'

I missed a New Year's party to write this so be thankful. Naw, not really. It was a school party I won't have gone anyway. This chapter was going to end much farther in the story but it started to run long. I look forward to more reviews. I never expected to be so nice to me. I don't think I've had one mean review. Thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: one day my work will pay but that day will not be for a long while and it is certainly not today so, I own nothing please enjoy your free read.

AN: holy writer's block batman! What happened to updating in a reasonable amount of time? Guess that gone to the dog. Oh weeeelllll! But really, I'm sorry for the delay. now that the actions died down the writing gotten so much slower. It's not fun. I would like to take a special second to thank all my reviewers' favorites and all who's put this on their alert list. You all rock! Hell thanks for reading this. I know I don't always take the time to read the authors note, especially such a long one. Here's your reward, Chapter 4!

Worth more than my life

Chapter 4

It had taken an embarrassingly long time for us to break our impromptu group hug and just a while longer for me to calm down enough to engage in any sort of conversation. Jazz had only told them that I was a halfa and that I had been since I was fourteen. They didn't know anything other than that except for what they could infer from what they had seen over the years.

We sat there for a long while as I told my side of the story. We sat in a dark and worrying atmosphere for all of three minutes before we all ended up laughing are asses off. The stories from back then were just too funny looking back now to keep any sort of somber attitude. I notice Mom stop laughing and for a moment look thoughtful.

"There's one thing that doesn't really make sense. I don't remember Vlad getting any were near the ghost portal until long after we met Plasmius. Well, except that time in college… "The realization dawns on her face as she speaks followed immediately by horror. She looked afraid to ask so I just answered the unspoken question.

"Yeah, that's what he said happened." I didn't elaborate I figured I should let Vlad share his secrets when and if he felt like it.

"I don't get it. What about happened to Vlad? What's that about college?" Dad still looked confused and was the only one out of the loop yet again. Mom gave him a little smile then looked over to me and Jazz

"Why don't you two go eat your dinner I need to talk to your father for a minute" she said softly, a sad little smile on her face. Jazz quietly moved into the kitchen. For a second I almost followed her but I remember the man injured a floor above me.

"I just going check on Vlad." I turn to walk up the stairs. I'm half way up when mom calls up to me that she'll bring me something to eat later. I just nod at her; my mind was already on Vlad. I hesitate at the door for some reason afraid to look inside. I shake my head and scold myself for being so childish and open the door. He looks more relaxed then I've ever seen him. His mouth is slightly open and his hair had fallen out of its constant ponytail. A few strands had fallen over his eyes. He looked beautiful.

For a second I allow myself to pretend he was just sleeping. When he winces the illusion is shattered and I feel a smile I hadn't noticed was there fall from my face. I pulled the desk chair over to his side and finally let myself relax for the first time in what felt like hours. No more panicking, no more stressing, just watching over Vlad until he felt well enough to leave. I look down on him one more time and it finally hits me.

"You saved my life." It's a small shocked whisper. I can barely believe my own words. I franticly run the events of the last hour through my mind. He had not only saved me he had almost literally took a bullet for me. I just didn't understand. I had known for years that he would never try to really kill me but I also knew he hated me. Why he would risk his life I really couldn't understand. For a second I wondered if it could have been an accident but I couldn't figure out how he could have gotten to the other side of the room if it wasn't on purpose. All of a sudden I need Vlad to be awake. I needed him to answer this rush of questions I had for him. I needed to know what he had been thinking.

What felt like moments after my realization small knock on the door draws me out of my thoughts, thoughts I could hardly recall almost immediately afterward. I glance at the clock and notice an hour and a half had passed. I call out for them to enter at the same time. Mom peaks around the door as if to be sure she wasn't interrupting. Her unnecessary caution made me smile a little as I waved her in. I noticed she carried an overfull plate of food. I thanked her but I couldn't muster my appetite. She handed the plate over to me; I stood to set it on the desk. When I turned back I found her standing next to the head of the bed stroking his hair back and staring at his face sadly.

"How is he doing?" she spoke in an almost inaudible whisper. As embarrassed as I am to admit it I had to fight back an irrational surge of jealousy before I answered.

"He'll live. It might take a few days for him to wake up though." I whisper my answer just a little louder then Mom had spoken. She leans against the wall by his head as I take my seat again.

"I don't think I've ever been so glad to see one of our inventions fail." She lets out a little laugh at his comment. I just shake my head.

"The ghost reaper works fine. I've borrowed it a few times. It carves basket ball sized holes out of ghosts with no effort. It's kinda gross really. The only reason both me and Vlad are alive right now is because he's only half ghost. His human side protected him enough that the beam didn't pierce his body but judging by the size of the burn on his back, his ghost from probably has a good sized chunk missing." As I spoke I noticed Mom narrow her eyes at me when I motioned barrowing the weapon but before she could call me out on it a new thought seem to distract her.

"How is he going to heal? I mean, how do ghosts heal?"

"They don't. They regenerate. It's why I can wear the same jumpsuit for five years without it falling to shreds. If a ghost is left long enough they could re-grow a limb. We couldn't do that. But as soon as that burn heals he can turn back to a ghost without any problems"

"What happens if he tries to change before then?"

"If he tries to change now he would pass out again. If he waits long enough he would stay conscious but the pain would be agonizing. All he would really do is aggravate his wound. If he pushed to hard it could kill him."

"Would he become a full ghost if he died?" I know it sounded kind of heartless but mom was still a scientist and she still thought like one. I was just glad she wasn't taking notes and measurements. I don't think it even crossed her mind that he would actually die.

"We're the only halfas in existence and since neither of us has died yet there's no way to know. But my guess is if we died in our like this we might become full ghost but if we die in our ghost form we're probably out of luck." Talking about it always made me uncomfortable but being half ghost meant the subject came up often. I guess it must have shown on my face some.

"Well let's just hope we never have to find out." she pushed off the wall, leaned down, gave my shoulders a little squeeze, and kissed my forehead. She may be a scientist but a mom's still a mom. I should have trusted in that years ago and avoided this whole ordeal. We exchanged small smiles before she turned toward the door. She had one foot out the door before she turned back around

"I do have one more question before I leave you two alone." She seemed very amused with the way she chose to word that. Though her mirth made me a little anxious I figured her question couldn't possibly be that bad.

"Shoot" I swiveled the chair to face Mom, giving her my full attention.

"How long have you been in love with him?" I was wrong. It was worse than I could have imagined.

"Mom!" I'm ashamed say I squeaked a little. I must have looked horrified. She gave a little huff before elaborating.

"Don't give me that look. I know you. You remember your little crush on Sam. I could tell the first time you brought her home. It only took me so long to figure out it out cause I wasn't looking for it this time." She was babbling. She had turned back to the room and was leaning against the door frame.

"I don't! I mean we aren't….I just…it, it doesn't matter." I look away. I really didn't want to have this conversation.

"He cares for you. You have to know that at least "I figured she was talking about what had happened downstairs. I don't answer, I just stare at my feet and hopes she'll drop it soon. I hadn't even let myself contemplate what his actions meant. I couldn't even image why after over 6 years of hating my guts he would do what he had done for me. I would not assume. I would not get my hopes up. I would not let Vlad out of this room until he answered all of my questions.

"You be sure to get some sleep. Your father set up that air mattress for a reason you know." I carefully stifle a sigh of relief, grateful she chose to change the subject.

"I know. I love you mom. goodnight." After Mom had left I gathered my things and headed to the bathroom to change and get ready for bed. Even if he was unconscious I still didn't want to change in the same room as Vlad. It was still a little early but I had nothing to do for the rest of the night except think and I was trying to avoid too much of that at the moment.

I didn't fall asleep till sometime in the early morning.

AN: Please review I'm a little less than happy with this chapter, one of the reasons it took me so long to post it, so tell me what you think.

p.s. I posted this yesterday but forgot to fix the last paragraph. I had even forgotten to put a whole sentence in.


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